Glory {Art} 2017 Scripture Challenge #3, Daily

The Study

I posted this on my Facebook page one morning last week:

"Just walked outside to this beside the house. Stunning! The Father greets me in glorious ways every morning!"

This photo was taken at 6:35 a.m., and I began thinking about the morning and each new day. He truly does greet me in glorious ways each and every day. How can I look at that and not see the Father? How can I look at that and not give Him the glory? How can I look at that and not pray? He is drawing me to Him. Am I listening? How about you? 

Isaiah 50:4 "The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed."

Do you see how He greets you each day? Are you drawn to Him or are you so busy running and thinking of your to do list that you miss Him? Seeing His beauty, I can trust and know that He is there to help me each and every day. Why wouldn't I want to seek Him and have Him help me each day? Life is so much harder when we don't rely on Him. He is there waiting!

This past Sunday, we sang this hymn in church. It was perfect for today's lesson. It's called "Day by Day." Listen to it below. The lyrics are also included.

Hymnary.org says this about this hymn: "Carolina Sandell wrote this hymn several years after witnessing the sudden drowning of her father, a tragic event that caused her great distress. Having been through that experience, she still could write about God, 'He whose heart is kind beyond all measure gives unto each day what He deems best.' In the second stanza, she refers to Deuteronomy 33:25b: 'as your days, so shall your strength be' (ESV). As this hymn is sung, remember that, though no human can accurately foretell the future, God knows what will happen and is also in complete control of all coming events."

And read verse one of this hymn:

"Day by day and with each passing moment, 

Strength I find to meet my trials here; 

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, 

I've no cause for worry or for fear. 

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure 

Gives unto each day what He deems best-- 

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, 

Mingling toil with peace and rest."

You can read all of the lyrics by clicking here. So, so comforting. He is there standing with you in your trials. He is your strength each day. We have no need to worry or fear. Read these scriptures, and I pray they bless you as you think about Him being there for you and never leaving your side.

1 Chronicles 23:30 "They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening."

Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly."

Psalm 59:16 "But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble."

Psalm 65:8 "The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, You call forth songs of joy."

Psalm 68:19 "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."

Psalm 90:14 "Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."

Psalm 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life."

Isaiah 33:2 "Lord, be gracious to us; we long for You. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."

Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

I hope you will remember that He is there for you each day. Rest in Him even when things are chaotic. There will be adversity in our lives but don't let it consume you. Remember Him as you wake up in the morning. Remember Him each day. Abide in Him, and He will get you through. Do you live daily defined by Jesus or do you let the world's chaos define you?

Below is a prayer I wrote from the verses above. I love praying scripture back to the Lord. If you don't know what to pray, pray His word back to Him!

"Father, I stand here each morning and evening and praise You. I will sing of Your strength and Your love. The whole earth is in awe of Your wonders. Your compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I praise You that You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You hear my voice, and I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly for You are our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress, and You bear our daily burdens. Show me the way I should go in my day today. It's in Your Son's name I pray, Amen."

Journaling Prompt

Today I have several journaling prompts for you again. I hope you are enjoying these.

• What does your daily devotional time look like?
• What can you praise the Father for today?
• Do you enjoy singing older hymns? Why or why not?

The Art

Today I decided that I would make some Scripture Art Cards. I have not made these in so long, and I need to add to my album. There were also so many great verses above that I couldn't choose just one verse so this worked perfectly to share a couple of verses. 

And if you look closely, I have two things I forgot. First, I forgot to add my pen marks around the words on the first card. I was waiting for it to dry and forgot. I have fixed that now but didn't reshoot the photos. Second, I forgot to use my Dorland's Wax on the printed scriptures. So, when I used my waterbrush with the Stabilo All pencil, the verse address smeared. I quickly added the wax to the rest of the scripture so it wouldn't smear. Dorland's Wax is awesome. Does it bother me? Absolutely not. That's what makes mixed media fun; there are no mistakes. :)

Stencil Girl Stencils: playful bloom

Thanks for joining me today. Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. Let's watch for Him today and let Him be your strength and guide!

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Tuesday's {Tip} Words for Faith Art

Are you ever at a loss for finding the perfect word sticker or stamp for your faith journaling? Maybe you create faith art in an art journal or you create Journaling {Bible} pages or Scripture Art Cards, ICADs, etc. Whatever you are creating, where can you find words? Well, of course there are stamp sets or sticker sets, you can use a vintage typewriter as I do sometimes or even your printer. Well, I have another solution for you. I have had this book for years, and it has served me well. It is called the Layman's Bible Encyclopedia (1964). 

I got mine free from paperbackswap.com; however, they are available on amazon.com for about $6.50 and up (which includes shipping). To me, that is worth $7 for the amount of words and pages you get. The book contains 1,012 pages and scriptures so there is a lot in there to work with. You can see that I used words from this book in this Journaling {Bible} entry. The words 'forgiving', 'spirit', and 'forgiveness' were taken from this book.

For the tiny leftover words, I just recycled a small Altoid tin for those. If it gets to be too full, I will purge some of the words.

I hope you find this helpful. This book would even work for someone that does not want to journal in their Bible. This could certainly be used as an alternative. Have a blessed Tuesday!

Glory {Art 2016} Scripture Challenge #1, Limitless

Note: Please scroll down after reading this post to see the second post for today. The post below is one you will want to bookmark since it will contain all of our challenge links for this year.

Welcome to the first Glory {Art} Scripture Challenge for 2016. I am so excited to have each of you studying and creating with me! I pray that God will use these words to help you grow in your relationship with Him this year. If you have not seen the introduction to this study, please see that post by clicking here. Also please note that all scripture references are taken from the NIV unless otherwise noted. Now let's see what God has for us today. 

The Study

As I was watching the morning news one day in December, Colton Dixon was on the show. He sang one of his songs called "Limitless." You can listen to by clicking here. Here is the chorus followed by part of the lyrics:

"We are limitless, limitless 

Limitless, limitless 

The power of love 

Alive in us 

Is limitless, limitless 

Unstoppable and nothing less 

No nothing can hold us down 

We're limitless 

Take away the limitations 
When we fix our eyes on You 
Flood our hearts with expectations 
Lord, there's nothing You can't do."

I really spent many days singing this song, thinking about the words, and realizing that with God all things are possible. Without God, we are limited.

Matthew 19:26 "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

With God, all things are possible! We need to be careful, however, about seeking our own desires; we must be in His will. We can certainly ask but it may not be His will for us. He sees the big picture, and we do not. Let's look at how God is limitless.

His Understanding has No Limit

Psalm 147:5 "Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit."

Have you ever thought to yourself "Why did I do that?" "Why am I like this?" There are so many more 'why' questions that we ask about ourselves but we shouldn't. We should trust our Father and Creator God who understands us completely and fully. If you are confused, concerned, or whatever you are going through, go to Him because His understanding has no limit.

He Loves Without Limits

When something is repeated in the Bible, it shows its importance. Look at Isaiah 6:3.

Isaiah 6:3 "And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.'"

The repetition of the word 'holy' three times in that verse shows the unsurpassed nature of God's Holiness. He is Holy all of the time. And if you search the phrase "His love endures forever" in the NIV, you will find that it is stated in the Bible 43 times with 26 of those being in Psalm 136. I encourage you to read Psalm 136. The repetition of this phrase in Psalm 136 shows it's an important lesson that we need to remember. The Life Application Bible says "We never have to worry that God will run out of love because it flows from a well that will never run dry." His love it limitless!

1 Chronicles 16:34 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."

He Gives the Spirit Without Limits

John 3:34 "For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit."

The believer is filled with the Holy Spirit who empowers us each and every day. Are you limiting yourself by just relying on 'self' or are you limitless each day because you are relying on Him and seeking His will? We triumph only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

He Has No Limits

Nothing restricts Him. He has no limits—none! He is all-knowing, all powerful, all-sufficient, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

Psalm 62:11-12a "One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: 'Power belongs to You, God, and with You, Lord, is unfailing love.'"

Isaiah 26:4 "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal."

1 John 3:20 "If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything."

Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."

Stay fixed on Him daily. He lives in the believer, and we can experience Him along with His power daily. Will you, this year, fill your heart daily with Him and live limitless with Him?

The Art

This past week, I created 14 ACTs for a group swap. Since I was in that mode, I decided to continue and create four Scripture Art Cards for today's study. I used 7Gypsies Ordre Du Jour paper. I decided to use a ruler on each card to show that there is no beginning or end to the Lord. He is limitless! The ruler comes from the 7Gypsies Blessed Beyond Measure stamp.

Papers: 7Gypsies Ordre Du Jour 

Stamps: 7Gypsies Blessed Beyond Measure and Distressed Words, Paper Bag Studios Journal Impressions
Stamp Ink: Hero Arts Hues India ink and Shadow Ink red royal
Paints: Tattered Angels High Impact paint (tan and hot pink)
Embellishments: Pigma micron 0.3mm pen, sari ribbon, misc. wood veneer, correction pen, sewing machine

Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. We also have some discussions that will be going on there too about the study. If you don't use Facebook and want to share your creation here, do so below by using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. Enjoy your time with Him, and I look forward to studying again with you this year! Live limitless!

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Glory {Art} Scripture Challenge #19, Disputable Matters

The Study

As I was going back through some of my old Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) notes, I came across the words "disputable matters." It then reminded me of a discussion our pastor had with our new members class several years ago on this same issue. I thought it would be something good for us to look at today.

Do you ever look at someone and think "Are they really a Christian? If she does that or believes in that, how can she be a Christian?" Or maybe you give another Christian a hard time because they do or do not celebrate Halloween. Or maybe you think all Christians should homeschool. I could share lots of examples, and I am sure you have thought of some of your own. Here is an example that Paul gives in Romans.

Romans 14:2-4a "One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?"

We live in a real world and sometimes people that profess to be a Christian irritate us. Shouldn't they be exactly like us if they are a Christian? We need to handle our differences with acceptance and love. We are accepted by God by belief in Jesus Christ. We are not to tell other believers how to behave on disputable matters.

Romans 14:1 "Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters."

We are to love each other and work together for God's glory. So what are the disputable matters? Our pastor shared an illustration that had four circles like a bullseye. Here you can see my very rough drawing of the circles.

I will try to describe each circle from the center out. First, we have the indisputable matters which are the core of our faith. These are not open to dispute. These are essential to the Christian faith.

Essentials/Indisputable Matters (protect the core of the faith; essentials of the faith)

• innermost circle (teal): Jesus. He is the core!
• second circle (green): Confession and everything in the Apostle's Creed.

Next we have the disputable matters which are debatable. In disputable matters, we are to disagree agreeably. They are not a test of a person's saving faith.

Non-Essentials/Disputable Matters (not a test of a person's saving faith)

• convictions (pink): things that Christians argue about and sometimes divide the church—Sabbath, gays, war, how you are baptized, etc.
• conscience (peach): things the Bible isn't clear about we will disagree and that's okay.

So, where are you passing judgment on other Christians? Are you judging them on the disputable matters? Only God will be the judge. That's His job! I urge you to love them instead of possibly being a stumbling block that may stop another believer from growing in Christ. The obstacles we put up can cause another believer to feel trapped. If in doubt, don't do it.

Romans 14:13 "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister."

1 Corinthians 8:9 "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak."

The NIV Life Application Bible says this about Romans 14:13, "Paul wants his readers to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others needs." So remember, don't destroy other believers or God's church. Lift them up. Encourage them instead of focusing on the disputable matters.

The Art

Today I have created Scripture Art Cards using the same background technique I used on Friday's art journaling page. If you missed that post, click here. I chose to use bright colors since it makes me think of being positive and happy not confrontational. I also chose to use butterflies as I think of being a new creation in Christ. I do not want to be a stumbling block to any other new creation in Christ.

Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. We also have some discussions that will be going on there too about the study. If you don't use Facebook and want to share your creation here, do so below by using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies and art tips, please see this post here. Have a blessed week!

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Glory {Art} Scripture Challenge #17, Discouraged?

The Study

If you remember, I was unable to post the last Glory {Art} Challenge due to one of my daughter's taking her fourth ambulance ride this year to the ER. She ended up being in the hospital for 10 days this time. At one point they thought she needed heart surgery. Yes, this is the daughter that just had her 4th back surgery earlier this year. During this hospital stay, she was on complete bedrest, she was in tears, and she was discouraged. She wanted to go home, and so did I. She also wanted to go back to school. She is tired of hospitals and problems. Have you ever felt that way? Are you discouraged? Maybe you too have health problems or a family member does. Maybe you are having trouble paying the bills or you are discouraged in your job or lack of finding one. Maybe you are discouraged because you have tried to get the weight off over and over again, and it just doesn't happen. There are so many reasons we become discouraged.

If we focus on the problem, we will be discouraged. But God doesn't want us to be discouraged. He wants us to focus on Him and encourage us! In Exodus 5:22, we see that Moses took his doubt and discouragement to the Lord. 

Exodus 5:22 "Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Why, Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Is this why You sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all.'"

Moses did the right thing. He turned to God, and God responded with encouragement and tells Moses how He will rescue His people.

Exodus 6:1 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of My mighty hand he will let them go; because of My mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.'"

God sees past our troubles. He has a bigger picture for us. God gave Moses encouragement and hope, and He gives us encouragement and hope also. He is the God of comfort in our troubles. Even when we are discouraged, we need to praise Him. He is faithful. His grace and love are abounding.

Deuteronomy 32:4 "He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He."

Psalm 86:15 "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

So what do you do for someone that is discouraged? Or what do you do for yourself? I will tell you what I did for my daughter. First, she denied everything I suggested to distract her. So I quietly sat next to her bedside, and I turned to His Word by reading scriptures aloud to her. She said nothing and had her back turned to me as she lay in the bed. Then I started playing her new favorite album by 7eventh Time Down. After listening to scriptures and this song, she began to weep which made me weep along with her. The scriptures and the music did us both good and brought us encouragement. One of the songs we listened to was "Unbelievable." You can listen to it by clicking here. Some of the words in the song are:

"Lord You could've given up 

And walked away 

From someone so unworthy 

But You stayed 

Your faithfulness surrounds me 

Your grace is all abounding 

Your mercy overwhelms me 

You call me Your own 

I know You'll never let go 

Your love’s unbelievable 

On and on it goes 

Your love’s unbelievable 

On and on it goes 

Your love’s unbelievable"

So when we are discouraged, read His word. There is a living, eternal, super-natural power in God's Word. God speaks encouragement and hope to His children through His word. Do you take your focus off of God when you are discouraged? I pray instead that in faith you would turn to Him in your discouragement and troubles. Let Him encourage you!

Romans 1:17 "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'"

"Fight back! Discouragement is a choice. If you feel discouraged, it's because you've chosen to feel that way. No one is forcing you to feel bad. Hang on! Do what's right in spite of your feelings. No feeling lasts forever."—Rick Warren

The Art
For today's Scripture Art Cards, I used Strathmore Artist Trading Cards. I use the Canvas Paper in the ATC size. No need to cut, gesso, or prepare these in any way; just start painting. They are even white on one side and off-white on the back so you can choose which side to use. I should have started using these from the beginning of the year but I guess now is better than later. The canvas texture is also nice. To purchase, see the supply list below.

For my cards today, I needed something quick as we have only been home from the hospital a week today. She didn't need heart surgery yet, praise God, but she was diagnosed with a new health condition unfortunately. Anyway, because I needed something quick, I used this video by Marta Lapkowska for inspiration. I like how these turned out but may do another full-sized art journal page using this same technique. It was fun.

Because the ATCs were so much smaller and moved around, I used adhesive to stick all four cards onto a sheet of newsprint paper. That way I could paint all four at once, and they did not move around. Sorry for the bad lighting. It was rainy and dark when I started these.

And here is how they turned out with scriptures and the quote from the study:

Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. We also have some discussions that will be going on there too about the study. If you don't use Facebook and want to share your creation here, do so below by using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies and art tips, please see this post here. And today instead of being discouraged, I pray you will be encouraged by this beautiful prayer.

Ephesians 3:14-21 "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

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Glory {Art} Art Scripture Challenge #13, Religion

The Study

God has been putting the word "religion" in front of me for several weeks now. It first started with a quote from Bono that said:

"Religion is what you have left when the Holy Spirit has left the building."

Then a few days later, I was preparing my lesson for church to lead the K-5 service. This stood out to me:

"Religion is about our attempt to reach God. The Gospel is about the truth that God 

reached out to us. God is not about religion, He is about relationship." 

There's that word again—religion. In both of these quotes, we see that religion is about us doing something, following rules, and not relying on the indwelling Holy Spirit that fills each and every believer. The Holy Spirit is how believers experience God. It makes Him known to us, to know scripture is truth, and to be able to apply it. He expects believers to follow the Spirit's leading. That honors God. Here we see how the apostles followed the Holy Spirit's leading when Matthias became an apostle.

Acts 1:24-26 "Then they prayed, 'Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.' Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles."

I hear people say or I see on message boards "Well, I am not religious." I think the word religion can have a lot of negative connotations, and it does not necessarily draw people to Christ. As the quote said above, God is not about religion; He is about relationship. He is not about a list of rules. Yes, He wants us to obediently follow Him as His Word leads us but it's not about following a list of rules. We have a relationship with Him, and we serve Him and obey Him because we love Him not because we are following a list of rules. Our joy is in our relationship with Him not by following a religion. He created each and every person on this earth. The power of God's indwelling Holy Spirit and our relationship with Him completely transform us not a religion.

Genesis 1:27 "So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them."

Psalm 139:13 "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb."

Colossians 1:16 "For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him."

He puts a desire within each person to have a relationship with Him but not all people respond. We respond to Him by accepting Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sins and believing that God raised Him from the dead. His blood was poured out so that our sins are forgiven. We cannot experience a relationship with God unless we have received this free gift. Even Paul, who was a Pharisee, learned belief in Jesus instead of obeying a list of rules. Our outward religious acts do not save us. He wants to have that relationship with you. He loves you. To read more about accepting His free gift, please click here. Have you experienced religion or a real and personal relationship with Jesus?  

John 1:18 (NLT) "No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is Himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us."

Romans 3:25a "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:9 "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

1 Peter 3:18 (NLT) "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit."

"Going through the motions of religion won’t ever satisfy. It’s only when we bend down low, open our hearts in complete surrender, and say, 'Jesus, it’s You. Only You. There is no other. There is no other possession or person or position that can ever fill the deep soul place shaped only for You.'" —Lysa TerKeurst

So, will you be so bold as to begin saying you have a relationship with Christ instead of calling yourself religious or a Methodist, a Baptist, etc.?

The Art

For my art today, I decided to create four Scripture Art Cards. I have not made any in a while, and I have missed it. My little book full of these cards is coming together so nicely. I pray the girls will enjoy having it someday. I used two scriptures from above plus two of the quotes. These were the most meaningful to me, and I thought they would be great for today's art.

Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. We also have some discussions that will be going on there too about the study. If you don't use Facebook and want to share your creation here, do so below by using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies and art tips, please see this post here.

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{Glory Art} Scripture Challenge #8, Intercessory Prayer

The Study

If you remember our study from two weeks ago, we talked about being anxious. We also talked about how important it is to pray when you are feeling worried or anxious. If you missed that post, please click here to read it. We are going to continue with that same story about my daughter that had the big running test. The test began at 5:15 a.m. so she had to leave school at 4:45 a.m. that Thursday morning. God woke me up at 4:30 a.m., and I began praying for her. Then God whispered to me and prompted me to actually send her the prayer that I was praying silently at home. So I rolled over in bed, grabbed my cell phone, and I texted her a bit of what I was praying for her. I didn't realize just how much she needed to hear it but God knew. She texted me back elated that I not only was awake and praying for her but that I had shared the prayer with her. God knew she needed to read what I was praying for her. Some of the prayer is cut off because it was quite long. I dictate my texts so it's easy to just talk away. Here you can see a bit of what I sent her:

Today we want to talk about intercessory prayer. So what is intercession? Dictionary.com says "a prayer to God on behalf of another." So, what exactly does prayer mean to others? For my daughter that early morning, it was exactly what she needed. I didn't know that but God did! Do you ever let others know that you are praying for them? Do you offer to pray with them at any given moment? You can pray with someone in person, over the phone, via text message as you see I did here, and in so many other ways. How about e-mailing your prayer to the person you have interceded for that day? I never realized how much prayer meant to others until I was a group leader in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). I would pray with the ladies over the phone as God prompted me. I never liked to pray out loud let alone for someone right there in front of me or on the phone. Well, God has completely changed that. Prayer is not about me or my words; it's all about Him.

So, how do you feel about praying for others? Do you keep it private to yourself or do you let them know specifically what you are praying for them? Has someone done that for you? How did it make you feel? Are you worried about what to say or how you may sound? That is something we need to get over and let God use each of us as He intends to bless the person that needs to hear the words God gives us. Pray just as you would in a conversation with your best friend. We look forward to that time with our friend, and we should look forward to the privileged time we have to pray for others.

Prayer is powerful, and we need to be prayerful at all times no matter the situation good or bad. We should put the concerns of others before ourselves and stand in prayer for them. Prayer causes the believer to live victoriously! Don't you want to live a victorious life and experience the privilege of praying for others? Look at Paul's amazing example here in Acts:

Acts 20:36 "When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed."

Will you kneel down in prayer for those that God puts on your heart this week? Will you share your prayer with them? Prayer is a privilege, and lifting the needs of others up before the Father is not only a blessing but takes our mind off of ourselves and our own situations.

Ephesians 6:18 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

Philippians 1:4 "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy."

2 Timothy 1:3 "I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers."

If you want to learn more about prayer, click here to read a study I wrote in 2010 regarding prayer, and click here for another prayer study I wrote in 2012. I hope you find these helpful.

And to finish today's lesson, I have a video for you to watch if you have 11 extra minutes. This beautiful woman of God shares how she keeps track of her prayers for others, and at the end there is a tremendous blessing as this precious woman prays for you. I cried the first time I watched it. May God bless this beautiful woman of prayer. I know she is an example to me and many others!

The Art

Today I decided to create four more Scripture Art Cards. I used three of the scriptures noted above. I also used the Blue Fern Studios Love Story paper collection for the tags to place the scriptures.

Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. We also have some discussions that will be going on there too about the study. If you don't use Facebook and want to share your creation here, do so below by using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies and art tips, please see this post here. May you be blessed this week as you intercede for others in prayer!

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{Glory Art} Scripture Challenge #6, Follower

Note: Please click here to see today's Glory Art {Tip}.

The Study

A month or so ago, I had the privilege of listening to some of the youth in our congregation speak about their weekend retreat. They were each sharing what they learned about being a fan versus a follower of Jesus Christ. Here is how they defined each:

Fan: I like You when things are good.

Follower: I am with You through thick and thin.

So which are you? A fan of Jesus Christ or a follower of Jesus Christ? You can't be in the middle. Either you are all for God or you are not. If we are willing to follow Jesus in the joyful times, we must be willing to follow Him in times of suffering because that will bring us closer to Him who suffered the ultimate for us by dying on the Cross. Jesus calls us take up our cross daily and follow Him. He doesn't call us to be His fan. He doesn't call us to just 'like' Him. He calls us to have a daily relationship with Him. We are to be His follower.

Luke 9:23 "Then He said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.'"

Look how Simon Peter and Andrew respond to Jesus:

Matthew 4:19-20 "'Come, follow Me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.' At once they left their nets and followed Him."

And look how James and John respond to Jesus:

Matthew 4:21a-22 "Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him."

'At once' Peter and Andrew left and followed Him. And 'immediately' James and John followed Him. They didn't make up excuses or tell Jesus they would think about it and get back to Him. They immediately followed. Has your life been changed by being a fan of Christ? If you are honest with yourself, your life probably has not been changed as a fan of Christ. You are not experiencing that daily relationship with Him through thick and thin. So instead of just hanging out and being a fan of Christ, will you you immediately say 'yes Lord' and begin following Him daily as your Lord and Savior? And for those of you that are a follower of Christ, what changes can you make today to deepen your relationship with Him? Do you need to recommit to daily Bible study? Do you need to stop some habits that God has prompted you to let go? Will you leave behind whatever He is asking you to leave and commit today and everyday to Him? The Life Application Bible says this:

"For us, following Jesus means more than just acknowledging Him as Savior. We must leave our past behind and commit our future to Him." And I would add that we need to commit each day to Him. Will you do that as His follower? Will you follow Jesus and His plan no matter what it looks like? 

I want to leave you with this song by Jeremy Camp called "I Will Follow," Click here to listen the song and read the lyrics. Here is the chorus to this song. Can you say that you will be a follower wherever He leads?

Chorus
"I will follow, follow You wherever You go
And I will listen to the very promises I know
You are with me, always with me, keeper of my soul
I will follow, follow You wherever You go"

The Art

Today I decided to create four more Scripture Art cards. I just love making these. I also used hearts again instead of flowers because I follow Christ out of my deep love for Him. I used the wonderful new Blue Fern Studios Love Story Amazing Heart paper along with the Blue Fern Studios Grid Pieces chipboard. To see what I did with the paper, please click here to see today's Glory Art {Tip}.

Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. We also have some discussions that will be going on there too about the study. If you don't use Facebook and want to share your creation here, do so below by using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies and art tips, please see this post here. I pray that you will commit to following Christ today and everyday!

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Glory Art {Tips} Collage Paper

When creating a background for your art journaling page, Scripture Art Cards, etc., why not use some collage paper? You can certainly collage a background yourself with various book papers, tissue paper, etc., but collaged paper does the job for you and makes the process a bit faster.

For today's cards, I used the new Blue Fern Studios Love Story Amazing Heart paper. Here you can see Side A (black paper side) and Side B (the collage paper side). I used Side B for today's cards.

You can see how beautifully collaged Side B is. Today I used this paper to create four Scripture Art cards. Here you can see the four cards cut out with this paper.

Next I used an old iTunes card to put a bit of gesso on the paper to tone down the color a bit. After that, I ran my brayer over the wet gesso to give it more texture. Here you can see the two cards on the left have had gesso applied and the brayer used on top. The two on the right have not been touched yet. I wanted you to be able to see how the gesso mutes the paper just enough for creating my cards.

After that, I layered a bit of paint and black gesso circles. When you use collage paper, you don't need to add many layers if you do not want to. Collage paper makes your creation look more layered than it is. Here is how my cards turned out. To see more photos, please see my post here.

Thanks for stopping by, and grab some collage paper for your next creation! Blessings,

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